The Beauty Halo Effect: The Part In Impression Formation - Essay Example

The Beauty Halo Effect: The Part In Impression Formation The halo effect may also be referred to as the halo error. This is a cognitive prejudice in which an individual’s view of another individual’s disposition may be influenced by the general notion of the individual. The beauty halo effect may be present in a number of instances from everyday dealings to the classroom and the classroom. In addition, the halo error was developed by Edward Thorndike. Nonetheless, consequent investigators have studied the halo effect in association to beauty and its responsibility in the formation of impressions to individuals in a number of settings, for example, the educational and judicial systems. The continuation of the halo error has been recognized for a long time. This situation makes an individual presume that because persons are excellent at doing X, they will be proficient at doing Y and Z, or because they are terrible at doing X, they will be awful at doing Y and Z (Sutherland, 2007). This paper will discuss the beauty halo effect and the part it plays in impression formation in different settings, such as, home, education, social life, work place, politics, and in law and order. Individuals have a tendency of lessening the incoherent behaviors, beliefs, and emotions they posses by discriminatingly attending to details. People search for information that concurs with one theory and discount information which questions the theory. This lessens the concern of possessing a jarring system of belief. When an individual primarily develops an affirmative impression of another individual, they are consequently endowed in having that feeling be coherent with future judgments. It has been presumed that an individual’s attractiveness leads to positive impressions. Then people try to search for additional positive features because it makes instinctive sense to a person’s cognition that they match (Etcoff, 2000). In contrast, it is demanding to confess that an individual who is not attractive can have additional descent characteristics, for example, managing or administrative skill, or intelligence. This is because an individual’s lack of attractiveness will lead to an impression that the individual does not have any proficient characteristics. When an individual is perceived to posses beautiful features, they are frequently presumed to possess superior intelligence and a number of affirmative social features. Attractive individuals are instinctively presumed by other individuals to contain a number of additional pleasing features, merely based on their attractive physical features. Presuming that a household is made up of two female children and one is attractive looking and beautiful and the other seems to be unattractive, then a large number of parents have a behavior of assuming their beautiful child to have a higher Intelligent Quotient level, more intelligent, smarter, and a more agreeable traits than the unattractive female child. Such biased notions are developed without any intent but have survived in the community all the time (Etcoff, 2000). There are instances in which parents assert that if two children are distressed at a similar time, they would comfort the most attractive child first. In education, bias situations arising from the halo effect occur when a student selects new partners or friends, or when instructors are grading their learners. We frequently come across instructors or students attempting to develop relationships with beautiful or attractive looking individuals because it is perceived that their presence will be more pleasurable. In addition, instructors also form either positive or negative impressions of colleagues or learners through the halo effect. There are instances in which teachers use this bias when classifying their students (Kanazawa, 2011). In the social life, frequently when females and males are attempting to find their life partners, females are observed to be searching for men who are handsome, tall, and masculine. On the other hand, males tend to associate characteristics, for example, intelligence and kindness to an attractive female. Since the old times, there has been a universal liking for fair or white skin in every section of the globe. Nonetheless, there have been numerous racial prejudices on the basis of skin color as it was forever presumed white individuals were advanced than blacks. In the place of work, the beauty halo effect plays a part in impression formation during the process of appreciations, interviews, promotions, appointments, and allocation of work. In a number of companies, during interviewing new applicants for a position, there is an extreme possibility that the interviewer will choose handsome and beautiful applicants over less handsome and beautiful applicants. Studies indicate that there is constantly a subconscious presumption that handsome and beautiful workers are more honest, smarter, and more competent to suit the responsibilities in the organization (Sutherland, 2007). This halo error can be further observed when beautiful and handsome individuals are offered enhanced duties than other less beautiful and handsome individuals in the organization. Subsequently, it has been found out that attractive workers have a better opportunity of getting pay increases and promotions, and attaining admiration for their responsibilities. The beauty halo effect also has a significant effect in political circumstances. It is frequently perceived that during the election period with opposing candidates, members of the population will most likely choose a political aspirant who is the best communicator and most beautiful or handsome of them all. This is because beautiful and handsome political candidates are perceived to contain the mesmerizing influence of making individuals see the aspirant as intelligent, honest, and with significant leadership components (Moore, Filippou & Perrett, 2011). Incongruously a number of the most brutal political leaders in the present and past life are perceived to contain an appealing facade. In the area of justice, law and order, the beauty halo effect comes into existence when making judiciary verdicts. Studies indicate that, a less handsome or beautiful looking offender may be required to forfeit a fine two times in quantity than the one given by a more handsome or beautiful looking offender for the same offense (Rhode, 2010). In addition, law and order agencies have frequently been perceived to be indulgent towards beautiful and handsome offenders because they are presumed to be unable of engaging in any form of wrongdoing (Blank, Nestler, von Collani, & Fischer, 2008). Nonetheless, this view has been frequently opposed by law executors sue to reasons, for example, variations in crime situations instead of physical features of offenders. References Blank, H., Nestler, S., von Collani, G., & Fischer, V. (2008). How many hindsight biases are there? Cognition, 106, 1408-1440. Etcoff, N. (2000). Survival of the prettiest: The science of beauty. New York: Anchor Kanazawa, S. (2011). Intelligence and physical attractiveness. Intelligence, 39, 7-14.  Moore, F. R., Filippou, D., & Perrett, D. (2011). Intelligence and attractiveness in the face: Beyond the attractiveness halo effect. Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, 9(3), 205-217. Rhode, D. L. (2010). The beauty bias: The Injustice of appearance in life and law. New York: Oxford University Press. Sutherland, S. (2007). Irrationality. New York: Pinter & Martin. Read More